Controlling mechanism for the printing-ribbons of computing-machines.



J. E, W. GRBVE. v somnomm mommsm FOR THE PRINIING RIBBONS OF commune MACHINES;

APBLIOATI'ON FILED 3330.11, 1913. LQQQ 1 24 1 Patsnted June 2, 19142,

3 SHEETS-SHBET L I J. E. W. GREVB. CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR THE PRINTING RIBBONS OF COMPUTING MAGHINBSF APPLICATION FILED 12120.11, 1913. ggh 32304; V Patented June 2, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z g 45%;; Ly

z mmfia zgz 1 11 J. E. W. GR V'E. CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR THE PRINTING RIBBONS OF COMPUTING MAGHINES.

APPLIGATION FILED 1330.11, 1913.

Patented June 2, 191% 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED snares "barons: orrioa.

JOHN EMIL WILLIAM GBEVE, (3F GHEMNITZ, GEEIMANY, ASSIGflUEr TO 'WAND EBEE- WERKEPVOBMALS WINKLHOFER & JAENICKE A. G2, 033 SCHCNAU,-NEAR iJHEIlCE- NITZ, GERMANY.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR THE PRINTING-RIBBONS F GQMPUTING-MAGHINES Specification of Letters latent.

Patented June 2, 1914.,

Application filed December 11, 1913. Serial No. 895,963.

line when an impression is to be made, but

' removed therefrom to a position of rest after the printing operation, so that the printed characters will be visible immediately after their impression. I

The invention also relates to a mechanism for controlling in simple manner the reciprocation of a multi-color ribbon, which is used, for instance, for printing totals and intermediate totals of a particular computation a different color from the other sums on the sheet, and contemplates the combination of mechanism whereby, after either one of the color-zones of the ribbon has been brought into the printing line for printing, the ribbon will be properly depressed again below the line. The changing of the color zones of the ribbon is automatically carried out, according to the present. invention, by means of the controlling; mechanism oi the counting-mcchanism, when the machine is set'for drawing totals or intermediate totals.

ruiothcir-feature of the present invention lies in the fact that the ribbon controlling mechanism of the computing machine is adapted to be used either with lined papersupport provided with paper in rolls, or it can be employed in a machinewn cn posscsses a mo" ble carriage for sheet-paper, In cases where the paper rolls are used, so that the I'UIIDl'JBIS are only printed in vertical columns on d the totals are similarly printed, the paper is progressed step-by-step after each impression, and when this is the case,

the means for causing the ribbon to be dcpressed from in front of the line of type can be dispensed with since the just-written number is made visible through the stepping process mentioned. It is otherwise,

puting machines, and elates particularly to I however, when a paper-carriage employing sheet-paper is used, particularly when additions are made transversely thereof and. the sum appears at the end of the line. In the latter instance, if the ribbon is not carried mto and out of registration with the line of type, the printed matter will not be visible during the use of the machine, until the carriage has travelediiar enough to the left for the printed'numbers to come from under the ribbon and the ribbon-guide In order then to make the ribbon controlling mechanism applicable to both uses, the present invention contemplates an arrangement of mechanism by means of which the ribbon guide can be positioned stationarily in registration with the printing line as is desirable when the writing appears on a paper roll. For this purpose, when regular postings are to be printed, the ribbon controlling mechanism is withdrawn from the influence of the controlling mechanism of the counting-devices, and is set in inoperative position. lhe above-mentioned positioning mechanism can, moreover, be used for raising the red-zone of the ribbon into stationary line with the printing line in case it is desired to promii'icntly display a row of numbers, as by printing them in another color.

It is well-known in the art to raise and lower the ribbon in computing machines for the purpose of making the writing visible and a mechanism is also known in which a ribbon having color-zones is reciprocated in order to print results in a different color from the other writings. in the last menciprocate'd for the purpose of printing results in a distinguishing color. These two mechanisms, which are coexistent in the machine constructed according to the present invention, are suitably governed by a conmechanism hereinbefore referred to.

trolling mechanism, which is arranged on a mechanism for determining the engagement and release of the counting mechanism with its Setting devices and which is described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 716,478, filed August 22, 191. By this means the movement of the 'ribbon into and out of registration with the type-line and the changing of the color-zones of tho ribbon are automatically efiected during the actuation of the crank-handle of the machine or by its motor-drive, as the case may be, and furthermore, after a resulting movement of the ribbon for changing the color-zone, the mechanism for raising and lowering the ribbon remains in operation, and, after the following printing of the result in another color, the ribbon returns'to its normal position.

In the drawings, which illust ate one form of my invention, is shown the mechanism of theapparatus in its various operative positions.

Figure 1 shows the assembled device in a position of rest, Fig. 2 shows the ribbon in raised position immediately after the printing operation, Fig. 3 likewise shows the ribbon in raised position at an intermediate period, Fig. shows the first elevation of the ribbon, when it is to be brought into position for printing red, and Fig. 5 shows the position of the ribbon with the red-zone illustrated at the position ot printing.

te'ferring more particularl to said drawings, S indicates the paper-re l or the paperroll guide or carrier. before which is mounted the ribbo 1, which is fed to and from the ribbon-rolls or spools F, onl one of which is shown in the drawings, t 1e second spool being hidden from sight in the views shown. In passing from spool to spool the ribbon 1 passes over a bow-like ribbon-guide 2 which is adapted to swing on a shaft 3 carried by the machine. Upon the shaft 3 is mounted an oscillating lever 1, upon whose free end is pivotally mounted a rod 5, whose opposite end is pivotally connected to one arm of .a two-armed lever 6 which in turn is suitably mounted on a fixed part of the machine. The free end of said 1evcr6 carries a roller 7, which coacts with a lever 8, pivotally secured, as by a stab or screw 10 to the control-segment 11 of the counting As said counting mechanism. and its controlling devices, other than the segment 11 and the roller 13 hereinafter mentioned do not enter further into the present description, they are not illustrated in the drawings. The lever 8 is provided at its free end with a track or slide-wa r 8 which is concentric to the axis of rotation of the segment 11, and is further provided. onits upper edge and above the element 8 with the stops 8 and 8. The lever 8 also carries a tongue or projection 9,

which slides in a recess formed in the segment 11 and is' adapted to project into the cam-slot 12 of the segment 11 and cooperate with the roller 13. For a better understanding of the invention, it might be stated that the roller 13 is suitably carried by an-arm, which is connected to an oscillatory housing for the counting mechanism, so that, when the roller 13 is brought rear ardly through the cam-slot 12 by the mechanism of the machine, the conntinganeclianism is placed into operative connection with the setting and actuating devices therefor and is then released therefrom. Upon the segment 11, ahd operativcly adjacent said stops 8 and 8 is mounted pawl 15 by means of the stub 14, said pawl 15 standing under the inl'l'uence of the coil-springlG. Mounted upon a fixed part of the machine by means of the screws 20 is a plate 19 which carries a stop 18, the latter being adapted to positively coact with the pawl 15, in order to throw the latter out at determined periods, while the lever S is adapted to be brought into contact with the pawl 15 by means of a coil-spriug 17.

The above mentionei'l rod 5 is provided with a projection 21 against which a plate or segment (Fig. l) hears, said plate 22 being adapted to be set b v means ol a handgrip 23. A leaf spring 31. suitably mountcd in the machine frame, is provided with an elevation which bears in any one of the depressions or stops 37 ot' the plate 22 'For the purpose of holding the latter in its various set positions.

The operation ol the apparatus is as follows:-In liig. 1 the assembled apparatus is shown in its normal position ol rest, and the roller 1-3 has not. begun its operation in the cam-slot 19 of the segment ll, this being the position of the parts before the computing machine has been set in operation by means of the usual hand crank. 'ihc direction of the forward movement of the crankhandle is shown in the drawings by means the end of the for 'ard movement of the hand-crank in the machine in, which the present invention is installed, the roller 13 enters the eam'slot 12 in a lateral direction, as described in the co-pending application hcreinbefore referred to. slot as stated, near the end oi" the forward movement of the segment 11, the roller t3 avoids contact with the tongue 9, until the return stroke takes place. its is shown in the drawings, the lever 8 is normally held with its lower step 8 in engagement with the spring actuated pawl 15, so that during the forward movement from Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 2, the roller 7 of th twoarmed lever (B engages the slidcway or track By tntciing the noes-nee C .ring tl ascent of the lever 8. By this totals is done in red. Toward the end of not 11, and tmrough the medium of he rod the forward crank movement, the roller 13 the d passes out at the slot 12. The contact of the.

v This operation is tore end the forward movement of crank, at which time th printing lmmn'xers have been roles l l the impressions mode. the segment 11 now males the return movement, according to the arrows in 2- and 3, then the roller 13 will depress the tongue or projectil'in 9, as shown in Fi 3, wlier is depr s d, because the roller 7 has left the slide-way 8, is again elevated. This additional movement is in itself superfluous and is c rried out, because, as will later appear, the projection of the tongue 9 into the com-shaft 12 is necessary. It should be noted that the tongue 9 need not be rigidly secured. to the lever 8, but can be slidably held under control of a control-device, so that when the roller 13 runs from one\side, in Fig. 3, over the tongue 9, the latter can give against spring pressure and the lever 8 need not be depressed thereby, while, when the movement is from the other side, as in;

F s, the control-device for the tongue will operate to cause the downward movement of the lever 8 with the tongue 9. lVhen the lever 8 is depressed, the pawl 15 snaps into the stop 8 in which. position it remains until it strikes against the stop 18, when it turns on pivot 14,- end releases the lever 8, so that the latter, under action of the spring 17 is drawn upwardly, until the stop 8 again strikes against the pawl 15.

'W hen :1 total or on intermediate-total is o be printed, then the roller 13 enters into ge ment with the slot 12 at the beginoil the forward movement oi the crank, ribed in my application, Serial No. hereinbe'fore referred to, because it is notes-wary tort-he counting nechonism to come into immediate engagement with the ,r segznents. It the control segs' now moved again in the direction of arrow "i then the roller 13, as shown in Fig. rims from the right over the tongue 9 of the lever 8, whereby the letter is depressed and in its depressed position the pawl 15 engages the upper stop 8 l i' ith the lever 8 thus set, and through the medium of the leverb the roller 7, the rod .3 and the swinging or level-4, the ribbon 1 elevated to at position where the blue-2zone of the ribbon is located before the printing line. the segment 11: ismoved still further, to the position of 5, then the roller 7 engages below the slide-way 8 and actuotes the mechanism so that the redzone of the ribbon comes before-the printins; line, This occurs at a time, when the printing hammers are released, so that the planting of the totals and intermediate 0"; the ribbon which in this instzun;

pawl 15 with the stop 18, the release of the lever 8 and the additional movement of the ribbon, after it has reached its depressed pos"ion, all occur in thesame manner as heretofore described.

it it is desired to throw the controlling mechanism. for the ribbon out of operation during the. writing on roll-paper, so as to leave the letter constantly in position before the printing-line, the hand-grip 23 (Fig. l) is rotated in a contra-clockwise direction until the segment 22 is held with the spring 24 in engagement with the first stop 25. If it is desired to print wholly in red, then the grip 23 is rotated until the last stop 25 is engaged by the spring 24. By rotation of the segment 22 as above described, the rod 5 is elevated, and thereby the lever 6 and the roller 7 are positioned so that it cannot engage the lever 8, which therefore cannot aflect the ribbon-guide, and the writing on roll-paper can be carried out without actuating the ribbon to remove it from the printing-line.

What I claim as my invention is l. in a computing machine, the combinatien with a controlling means for the counting-,n1echan.i.sn1, of a ribbon guide carrying a multtcolor ribbon, a control-lever on said controlling means operetively connected to. ribbon guide for moving the latter into he printing-line for each printing operation, means acting on said control-lever to determine the extent of the movement of the ribbon guide, whereby the positioning of the cliilerent color-zones before the printing line is determined, and means also carried by 5 said controlling means for holding said controlling lever in said color-zone positions until each printing operation is completed.

2. In, a computing mechanism, the eombination ,with a controlling means for the 119 counting mechanism, of a ribbon-guide carrying a, multi-color ribbon, means interposed between said counting mechanism controlling means and said ribbon-guide for elevating the ribbon to printing position for each printing operation, means acting on said interposed means to position the latter to elevate the ribbon with a different colorzone before the printing line for printing totals, means to restore the interposed means 120 to normal position after thelprinting of each total, and means to remove the ribbon guide from the influence of said counting mechanisinoontrolling means and lock the ribbon guide in fined position before the printing line, Y i

3. In a computing machine, the combination with a control-segment for the counting mechanism, of a ribbon guide carrying a multicolor ribbon, a springsdrawn control ism lever on said controi-segnient, means act-uated by said control-lever for elevating said ribbon-guide to the printing-line for each printing operation, means acting on said controblever to determine the extent of the mtrol-lever to normal position after each printing operation.

4. In, a computing machine the eombinw tion with it emitrol-seginent for the counting 'ineehanisni, of t ribbon guide carrying a multi-eolor ribbon, spring-drawn control lever on said control-segment, lever mechanism connected with said ribbon guide and actuated by said control-lever to raise the ribbon into printing line, means to give a di (lei-exit position to the control-lever, whereby a different color-zone on said ribbon will be presented i0 the printing line, and means to restore said controi lever to normal position after each printing operation.

In testimony whereof I my signature in presence of two Witnesses,

JOHN EMIL WILLIAM GREVE.

Witnesses AUG ST J. MAGIIE, HANS laiiionn. 

